LEWISTON — If you’re going to the fireworks, don’t take your dog. If you’re setting off fireworks, make sure your dog is protected.
“Dogs have no idea we’re celebrating the nation’s independence,” Lewiston Veterinary Hospital’s Dr. Jeff Mayerson said.
Dogs’ sense of hearing and smell are significantly greater than humans’.
“The sound of fireworks, the odor of gunpowder, freaks them out,” Mayerson said. “It scares the heck out of them.” Speaking slowly to emphasize his words, Mayerson said: “The animals need to be left at home.”
Not only that, during fireworks the windows should be closed, a radio or television playing, or an air conditioner or fan going, something to drown out the noise, Mayerson said.
Last year, a number of terrified dogs got loose from their owners who took them to fireworks shows.
“For us, the Fourth of July is the busiest time to get stray animals,” said Karla Leandri Rider of the Androscoggin Humane Society. “Last year alone, we got between 8 and 10 dogs brought in.”
Last year had a happy ending. The stray dogs were reunited with their owners. But not before running around loose.
“They could get hit by cars, or hurt by wildlife, for that matter,” Leandri Rider said. “It’s best to to leave them at your house.”
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- Lewiston Veterinary Hospital’s Dr. Jeff Mayerson recommends dog owners not take their dogs to the July 4 fireworks. he says the noise and the smell of gunpodwer terrifies dogs so leave them at home where they’ll be safe and happy.
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- Lewiston Veterinary Hospital’s Dr. Jeff Mayerson recommends dog owners not take their dogs to the July 4 fireworks. The noise and the smell of gunpowder freaks dogs out, he said.
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- Lewiston Veterinary Hospital’s Dr. Jeff Mayerson recommends dog owners not take their dogs to the July 4 fireworks. The noise and the smell of gunpowder terrifies dogs.
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